Astros to Place Jeremy Pena on Injured List After Sitting Out Twins Opener

The Houston Astros are being cautious with a player that is of utmost importance to their lineup.

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The Houston Astros were without their star shortstop on Monday in their series opener against the Minnesota Twins. It looks like he'll be out longer, too.

Houston shortstop Jeremy Peña will go on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday with a mild left calf strain, per The Athletic's Chandler Rome on X (formerly Twitter). Rome reported that manager Joe Espada said the move was coming.

On Monday, Peña reported left leg discomfort to Astros trainers and Espada and they held him out of Monday's lineup out of an abundance of caution. At the time, Espada told reporters that it was "general leg soreness." But, considering Peña missed a month with a Grade 1 hamstring injury, Houston wanted to be cautious.

Houston could make the move retroactive to Monday when he reported the injury.

During last week's road trip, he came up awkwardly after a swing against Dylan Cease in the sixth inning of Houston's 4-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. He promptly exited the game due to what was described as a cramp, but played the following day.

Peña Has Been One of the Best Shortstops in the Game When Healthy

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When he's been on the field, Peña has been exceptional. He's slashing .295/.356/.443 with six homers and 21 RBI through 48 games. in only half of the season's games, he's already accumulated a 2.0 bWAR, in part due to his strong defensive showing.

Nick Allen, who was activated from the 10-day injured list on Monday, took Peña's spot in the tarting lineup. Allen is a plus defender, but he isn't known for his bat. He has a career .215 batting average and .541 OPS since his rookie campaign in 2022, but he is batting .250 with a .628 OPS this season.

Allen has been an elite defender, but last season in Atlanta was extraordinary. He recorded 17 outs above average (OOA), which was third among shortstops in the majors. Due to Pena's injuries, Astros fans are well acquainted with Allen. He's played in 37 games this season between second base, shortstop, and third.

Defensively, he's been worse at shortstop this season, which isn't a career-long trend.

It would hurt to lose Peña for more than a couple of days. Houston has struggled to keep him on the field over the last two seasons. Through 125 games in 2025, he earned his first All-Star nod, batted .304 with a .840 OPS, and a career high 5.7 bWAR.